I haven't listened to this album in a long time... And I am just blown away by it. I've always liked it and maybe I appreciate more now when Prince is gone, but I always went back to this one when I wanted to hear him stripped down and vulnerable. But that is all emotion. What do the music experts on this board think about this album...especially in retrospect?

From Princevault:

One Nite Alone... (subtitled Solo piano and voice by Prince) is the 25th full-length studio album by Prince, and the first album of new material to be released exclusively through Prince's NPG Music Club (Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic, the companion album to Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, was released through the club the previous year, however).

The album was mailed to NPG Music Club members worldwide in May 2002. Later in 2002, the album was also included as a separately-packaged fourth disc with the NPG Music Club edition of One Nite Alone... Live!, meaning many NPG Music Club members received two separate copies of the album.

The album's title was the inspiration for the name of the One Nite Alone... Tour which took place in 2002 (starting two and a half months before the album's release).

Recording Process

Specific recording dates for the album are unknown, but it is believed that the tracks were all recorded in Spring 2001 at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA, during the mastering of The Rainbow Children album.

The album is a solo recording by Prince, featuring John Blackwell on drums on only two tracks, Here On Earth and A Case Of U. Prince's doves, named "Divinity" and "Majesty", are also credited for "ambient singing" on the album.

The album is sparse in nature, focusing on piano and vocals, although (in a similar vein to The Truth focusing on acoustic guitar and vocals) some other instruments and sound effects appear throughout.

Well I guess I'm the only one who appreciates this album tonight--but I wanted to add one last observation that never struck me in all the years I listened to these songs... Prince ended up doing intimate voice and piano concerts (although he called them piano and microphone) but he did this at least once before on this album. And it makes me pause...and listen to this album in a different way than I did the many times I did before. And not only appreciate it more... But, it makes me wonder...why I didn't go see Prince in 2016 when I had several chances to... I told my son then when he asked why I didn't go that I couldn't top the last Prince small club concert we went to together. But, for me, this was always "piano and a mirophone." Luv ya, Prince.

...

Just listened to the final song--piano solo...and then hearing him walk away...and the door closing.

Hopeful, wistful, melancholy, and determined. Never listened to this album like this before. What a difference a day makes.

[Edited 5/22/17 1:42am]

I hear you....

I love Prince NAKED....

Piano and Microphone~ no other artist in this world could hold a room enthralled and spellbound like him

I havent listened to One Night alone in its entireity for a little bit...

Ill come back to you on it

gandorb said:

One nite alone probably the least of all that I listened to- just didn't think much of it...then again I am all over Chaos & Disorder time and again while others are not.

Its another facet of Prince music that the gen pub isnt truly aware of. Its a nice release. I'm glad it isnt heralded. Its like our little secret.

His most underrated album simply because most people don't even know about it. Here On Earth, A Case of U, and Arboretum are my favorites!

One night I was cleaning up a bunch of stuff, I had a stack of burned cd's that i hadn't bothered to label. I was listening to them not even remembering having downloaded some of them. I played a disk that had a quiet, peaceful sound of just piano then that voice. I was blown away by the whole thing. As a pianist it made me green with envy as a songwriter I was made to feel incompetent and lazy (again). Yesterday I read an article on Prince and Jazz, one of the questions the interviewers asked every Jazz person was "was he passed his prime?". I thought of ONA and much of the great work he did after the "golden period" and once again and not for the last time I thought how I've always had my own mind, thought my own thoughts and wasn't swayed by what anyone says. His Prime was 78-16 anything else is just people nodding their heads in agreement with others.

PeteSilas said:

One night I was cleaning up a bunch of stuff, I had a stack of burned cd's that i hadn't bothered to label. I was listening to them not even remembering having downloaded some of them. I played a disk that had a quiet, peaceful sound of just piano then that voice. I was blown away by the whole thing. As a pianist it made me green with envy as a songwriter I was made to feel incompetent and lazy (again). Yesterday I read an article on Prince and Jazz, one of the questions the interviewers asked every Jazz person was "was he passed his prime?". I thought of ONA and much of the great work he did after the "golden period" and once again and not for the last time I thought how I've always had my own mind, thought my own thoughts and wasn't swayed by what anyone says. His Prime was 78-16 anything else is just people nodding their heads in agreement with others.

Agree 107%

Lovejunky said: